For all realistic purposes, the Golden State Warriors is not quite over, but already out of playoff contention, it might as well be.
When people look back at the 2019-2020 season for the Golden State Warriors, they won’t remember it fondly. The team, when the league was suspended over a month ago, was just 15-50, the only team already eliminated from the playoffs.
The reason they struggled so heavily was because the injuries to their star players combined with the inexperience that they were forced to lace the court with. The team’s 2019 rookie class saw significant minutes in the bulk of games.
With their three 2019 picks, the Warriors drafted Jordan Poole, Alen Smailagic, and Eric Paschall.
All three were intriguing picks at the time as Poole was considered a reach, Smailagic had already been in the Warriors’ system and little was known if Paschall’s game would transcend to the sport’s highest level.
While the season may have been a waste, the team was able to evaluate these rookies and whether or not they have potential. Former draft picks like Jacob Evans III and Damian Jones were quickly traded after not showing enough in their first seasons.
That said, what did we see and how successful were these rookies during the first 65 games? Let’s breakdown how each performed during their rookie season which, for all realistic purposes, is all but over.